Countess of Wessex welcomes Army reservist nurse cured of Ebola to afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace

  • Cpl Anna Cross contracted Ebola when she volunteered in Sierra Leone 
  • Made full recovery thanks to pioneering treatment
  • Invited to afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace with her mother  
  • Event was hosted by Sophie, Countess of Wessex 

The Countess of Wessex hosted an afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace today for representatives of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps and Royal Free Hospital.

Among the guests of honour was Corporal Anna Cross, 25, from Cambridge, who contracted Ebola when she volunteered as a staff nurse in Sierra Leone.

Cpl Cross, who joined the Army Reserves in 2013, was the first person in the world to be treated with MIL 77 - and as a result has made a full recovery.

The Countess of Wessex greets Anna Cross as she arrives for afternoon tea for the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps and the Royal Free Hospital at Buckingham Palace

The Countess of Wessex greets Anna Cross as she arrives for afternoon tea for the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps and the Royal Free Hospital at Buckingham Palace

Cpl Cross, pictured chatting with the Countess, made a full recovery thanks to a pioneering treatment

Cpl Cross, pictured chatting with the Countess, made a full recovery thanks to a pioneering treatment

Today she spoke of her experience with Sophie, 50, who looked smart in a royal blue dress with a black blazer and her blonde hair tied up in a chignon.

Swapping her uniform for a turquoise dress, matching cardigan and wedges, Cpl Cross was joined by her mother, Mevelyn, for the special afternoon tea.

The decadent event must have felt world away from the family's experiences earlier this year as Cpl Cross fought for her life after catching the killer virus.

Cpl Cross speaks to a smartly dressed Countess who hosted the Buckingham Palace event today

Cpl Cross speaks to a smartly dressed Countess who hosted the Buckingham Palace event today

Cpl Cross was joined at the palace by her mother, Mevelyn, who has had a difficult year after her daughter was flown back from Sierra Leone with Ebola, becoming the third Brit to test positive for the virus

Cpl Cross was joined at the palace by her mother, Mevelyn, who has had a difficult year after her daughter was flown back from Sierra Leone with Ebola, becoming the third Brit to test positive for the virus

She was evacuated back to the UK in an RAF plane on March 12 after becoming the third Briton to test positive for Ebola.

Cpl Cross made a full recovery thanks to the medical intervention of the Army and the NHS, which she works for as an intensive care nurse.

She said at a press conference earlier this year: 'If it wasn't for both of those institutions I wouldn't be here today. It's thanks to them I'm alive.'

The Countess had her blonde hair swept back in a chignon as she hosted today's tea party

The Countess had her blonde hair swept back in a chignon as she hosted today's tea party

Cpl Cross and her mother, right, walk through the palace followed by the Countess

Cpl Cross and her mother, right, walk through the palace followed by the Countess

Cpl Cross pictured at the palace today
Just months before, she was at a press conference, pictured, where she admitted she was lucky to be alive thanks to the treatment she received on the NHS

Cpl Cross was at the palace today, left, just months after a press conference, right, where she admitted she was lucky to be alive thanks to the treatment she received on the NHS

The 25-year-old said she cried when she found out she was free of the virus and attributed eating strawberries to help her through it.

She said it will still take a 'long time' before she is fully fit and would 'love' to continue volunteering with the military - although she suspected she would not be able to return to Sierra Leone.

MIL 77 is a close relative of the medicine ZMapp – the drug given to British nurse William Pooley when he too was treated for Ebola at the Royal Free.

ZMapp is a blend of three laboratory-made antibodies designed to neutralise the virus. 

More guests meet the Countess for the afternoon tea in honour of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps and the Royal Free Hospital 

More guests meet the Countess for the afternoon tea in honour of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps and the Royal Free Hospital 

 

 

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